2013/01/29

These movies were well made, didn't take themselves too seriously, and were entertaining popcorn munchers. Unfortunately, none of them really tried anything new or took any risks. I wanted to include Mission Impossible too but it's from 2011. These directors have really found what people in general want to see and they exploit that for great profits. Sometimes a movie like this is exactly what I want, but there is no way it can be the best of the year without doing something extraordinary.

4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I really liked some of the choices Peter Jackson made with this, such as the new frame rate, including songs, and the slow pace. I dislike the cinematography choices. Why oh why does he insist (like he did in LOTR) on long panning far off shots while the characters are in a cave underground? It takes away from the claustrophobic feeling and makes them look like toys. Other than that and some plot holes which may have been in the book, I really am happy that Jacksons success is allowing him to do what he wants and not just what other people expect.

3. Wreck-It Ralph

I'm pretty sure a lot of people will disagree with me putting this so high on the list, but when I saw this unexpectedly at a sneak peak I was really taken by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. It was fun, dramatic, moving, and even unpredictable. I loved the voice acting choices (30 Rock's Jack McBrayer as Fix-It and Sarah Silverman as Vanellope), the arcade gaming inside jokes, and the Toy Story feeling of nostalgia.

2. Les Misérables

I watched this 3 times in 3 days and I was humming it for over a week after that. It is so good. All the singing was done live instead of prerecorded and now when I watch other musicals I just can't enjoy them knowing it wasn't done that way. I really hope it changes the way the industry does musicals from now on. I know this wasn't the first or only movie to do this, but it was the biggest and most successful application of the technique.

1. Django Unchained

Wow. I finally saw this over the weekend and there are so many things I loved about it. The pacing, the script, the actors, the story, the ending.. Rarely have I ever felt so satisfied by an ending as I was with this movie. This is truly Tarantino at his best, so if you are not a fan, don't bother. Christoph Waltz makes every movie better, and Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio were excellent as usual. Go see it.